Is graffiti singular or plural?: Usage Guide
Graffiti, which also serves as the plural of graffito, is commonly used as a singular mass noun.
graffiti … was depressing people who rode the subways
—
New Yorker
New Yorker
graffiti comes in various styles
—S. K. Oberbeck
S. K. Oberbeck
This use is well established although not yet as well established as the mass-noun use of data. Use of graffiti as a singular count noun is still quite rare and is not standard.
graffitied; graffitiing
grə-ˈfē-(ˌ)tē-iŋ 
gra-,
grä-
also graffiting
grə-ˈfē-tiŋ
gra-,
grä-
: to draw graffiti on : to deface with graffiti
graffitied walls
Examples of graffiti in a Sentence
Noun
The walls of the old building are covered with graffiti.
Recent Examples on the Web
Josh Weiss, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
In 2023, reports of anti-Semitic graffiti and literature across Indiana climbed to 59, according to the ADL, and 44 more were reported in the first eight months of 2024.
—Sade Ajishegiri, Nic Napier, Max Reich and Isabella Vesperini, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Sep. 2024
Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2024
In New York City, antisemites graffiti the walls with Jew-hatred.
—Mike Wagenheim, Sun Sentinel, 22 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for graffiti 
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Noun
The audience gets a re-introduction to the afterlife when a French graffiti artist (Sami Slimane) working for Delia accidentally falls down a New York City manhole and ends up in the tiled, off-kilter hallway from the first movie.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
In 2023, reports of anti-Semitic graffiti and literature across Indiana climbed to 59, according to the ADL, and 44 more were reported in the first eight months of 2024.
—Sade Ajishegiri, Nic Napier, Max Reich and Isabella Vesperini, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Sep. 2024
Verb
The London Street Art outing where my daughter got to graffiti a butterfly onto a building wall provided some of the cutest pictures from the trip.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2024
In New York City, antisemites graffiti the walls with Jew-hatred.
—Mike Wagenheim, Sun Sentinel, 22 Dec. 2022
See all Example Sentences for graffiti
Dictionary Entries Near graffiti
Cite this Entry
“Graffiti.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graffiti. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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